localisation and function in the brain Flashcards
how to remember cortex's= remeber them in alphabetical order (auditory, motor, somatosensory, visual cortex)
what is ‘localised’?
-specific area of functioning
what is ‘con-lateralisation’?
- each hemisphere of brain controls the opposite side of the body
- eg. left side of brain controls right side of body
explain hemispheres of the brain?
- brain divided into 2 symmetrical halves= left/right hemispheres
- some functions are controlled by a specific hemisphere= lateralisation
look at flashcards for diagram of the lobes in the brain
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what are the names of the 4 lobes the brain is divided into?
- frontal lobe
- parietal lobe
- occipital lobe
- temporal lobe
explain the role of the frontal lobe?
- speaking
- planning
- personality
- at the back is the motor cortex that controls voluntary muscle actions
- broca’s area (left side)
explain the role of the parietal lobe?
- sense of touch
- body position
- at the front is the somatosensory cortex, receives info from the skin eg. heat
explain the role of the occipital lobe?
- info related to sight
- at the back of lobe=visual cortex
explain the role of the temporal lobe?
- comprehension of sound and speech
- auditory cortex
- Wernicke’s area (left side)
explain the Broca’s area?
- responsible for speech production
- damage= broca’s aphasia which is slow and lack of fluency in speech
explain the Wernicke’s area?
- speech and language comprehension
- damage= wernicke’s aphasia which is fluent speech that lacks meaning use of neologisms
evaluate brain scan evidence?
STRENGTH
-Peterson used brain scan to demonstrate how the Wernicke’s ares was active during listening task and Broca’s during reading
-supported by Tulving who found semantic and episodic memories reside in different parts of prefrontal cortex
=both show localisation of brain functioning
evaluate neurosurgical evidence?
STRENGTH
- neurosurgery still used today in some cases of OCD
- 44 OCD patients had surgery
- after 32 weeks 1/3 had meet criteria for successful response
- shows that symptoms associated with some mental disorders are localised
evaluate Lashely’s research?
WEAKNESS
- suggests higher cognitive functions eg. learning is holistic
- he removed area’s of the cortex in rats learning a maze, -process of learning appeared to need every part of the brain, rather than being confined to a specific area
- learning is too complex to be localisation